This invention relates generally to the field of medical devices referred to as catheter securement devices, a catheter being defined herein to include or comprise a small diameter, flexible tube that is inserted through a person's skin and into a vein to deliver or remove fluids such as blood, saline solutions, medications, etc., and often comprising a catheter hub or housing acting as a coupling member such that multiple distal tubes may be in fluid communication with the single tube leading from the insertion site. The catheter housing may also be utilized in order to provide a larger body for easier securement even if a single distal conduit tube is present. A catheter securement device typically comprises a flexible sheet member adhesively adhered to the patient's skin, the device having a clamp, flap or strap member to restrain and secure the catheter tubing or a catheter housing in a relatively stable manner such that it is less likely for the catheter to be accidentally pulled from the patient. The catheter tubing or housing may be secured within the securement device by pressure, adhesive, recessed members, etc.
Catheter securement devices are typically located a short distance away from the insertion, such that the length of the proximal portion of the catheter tubing is relatively short. The distal catheter tube or tubes to the contrary may be relatively long. A problem encountered with catheter securement devices of known design is that any lifting force applied intentionally or accidentally to the distal conduit tubes, i.e., the tubes extending beyond the catheter hub on the opposite side of the catheter securement device from the proximal conduit tube leading to the insertion site, may result in undesirable edge uplift force on the catheter securement device, causing the catheter securement device to be pulled or peeled from the patient's skin with possible dislodgement of the catheter.
It is an object of this invention to provide a catheter securement device that reduces the likelihood of accidental dislodgement of the catheter securement device by providing a structural design that shifts the upward force focus of any uplift force, created by pulling the distal tube or tubes in a direction generally perpendicular to the skin surface, to a location away from the edge and into the mid-portion of the catheter securement device, and in particular away from the distal edge and into the mid-portion of the base member adhered to the patient's skin.